Russian shadow fleet tanker seized

Berlin (dpa) – According to Germany’s Federal Ministry of Finance, the oil tanker Eventin, which suffered engine failure in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Rügen in January, is now subject to “customs measures”. The measures have not yet been finalised, a spokesperson in Berlin said. The EU states had placed the Eventin on the list of sanctions against Russia. This classifies the tanker as one of more than 150 ships of Russia’s “shadow fleet”, which is subject to sanctions. The ships are used primarily to transport Russian oil.

The Federal Ministry of Finance spokesperson said that the vessel “is currently prohibited from continuing its journey, and the further course of action with regard to the ship and its load is currently being considered by the competent authorities.” He referred to the fact that German customs has in principle the right under the European Union customs code to confiscate and use property under certain conditions.